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U.S. Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
9173 W. Barnes Dr., Suite B
Boise, Idaho 83709

For more information:
Ron Abramovich (208) 378-5741
 

New Snowfall Raises Hopes for Idaho Water Users

BOISE, ID—Many Idaho snowpacks reached average or above average levels by Jan. 1.

“This is good news,” says Ron Abramovich, water supply specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Boise. “But with half the winter still to come, we won’t know this year’s water supply outlook until Mother Nature plays her final card.”

Water Year 2004 began Oct. 1 with a slow start, leaving Idaho’s soils dry and thirsty for moisture. Snowpacks started increasing Christmas Eve and are the highest in the basins south of the Snake River at 130 percent of average. Some of the lowest snowpacks are in the Lemhi, Mann, Little Lost and Birch basins at 90-95 percent of average.

However, the high pressure and lack of new snowfall in early-mid January is decreasing the snowpack percentages one to two points a day. Current snow water content levels are 50-75 percent of the April 1 seasonal peaks. Idaho needs the snow in the 100-120 percent range to start putting a dent in the four-year drought.

With half the winter still to come, snowpack conditions could improve with additional storms, maintain current levels with normal precipitation or deteriorate with below normal precipitation.

Streamflow forecasts for most basins are in the 90-110 percent of average range for the April-September period. The exception is the Bear River at Stewart Dam which is forecast at only 20 percent of average.

“In most areas, streamflow forecasts look encouraging for Idaho’s water users,” Abramovich says. “However, water users should be prepared for shortages in the Bear Lake area, especially if future precipitation stays below average.”

Reservoir storage remains low to record low across southern and eastern Idaho. Brownlee and Dworshak reservoirs are at average while the lakes and reservoirs in northern Idaho are storing near average amounts, except for Coeur d’Alene Lake which is 39 percent of average.

The recent snows brought a Christmas present to Idaho’s winter recreationists. NRCS snow measuring stations indicate that mid-elevation areas in the 6,000 foot zone in the west-central mountains received the most snowfall. Snow sites in the headwaters of the Boise basin are nearly 100 inches deep.

The following lists the water supply outlook for specific regions:

• Panhandle region—snowpack ranges from 96 to 111 percent of average, streamflow forecasts call for 95-105 percent of average.
• Clearwater River basin—snowpack is 109 percent of average, streamflow forecasts range from 100-105 percent of average.
• Salmon River basin—snowpack is 106 percent of average, streamflow forecasts range from 96-102 percent of average.
• Weiser, Payette, Boise River basins—snowpacks range from 95-145 percent of average, streamflow forecasts range from 95-100 percent of average.
• Wood and Lost River basins—snowpacks range from 91-141 percent of average, streamflow forecasts call for near average runoff, except for the Little Lost River forecast at 80 percent of average.
• Upper Snake River basin—snowpacks range from 92-143 percent of average, streamflow forecasts call for 90-110 percent of average.
• Southside Snake River—snowpacks range from 124-146 percent of average, streamflow forecasts call for 100-120 percent of average.
• Bear River basin—snowpacks range from 98-173 percent of average, streamflow forecasts call for 20-91 percent of average.

For more information on snowpacks and streamflow forecasts for specific regions, visit www.id.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/watersupply/.

The Idaho Water Supply Committee will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 9 a.m. at the Idaho Department of Water Resources in Boise to discuss this year's water supply outlook.


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